SKS or Saiga?

[Buzzkill]

I recently bought a AK 74 5.45 x 39 made by Waffen Werks. I LOVE this rifle! More accurate than most AK haters will believe, excellent finish and flawless performance. The only negatives I have about this rifle is the stock and grip. That was easy enough to fix with $65. Installed a new Hogue grip and Tapco collapsible stock. Fits like a glove now.

I get ammo from usarmorycorps.com ( http://www.usarmorycorps.com/index.p...hk=1&Itemid=53 ) $286 shipped for 2160 rounds. Try to get 223/5.56 or 7.62 for that price, aint gonna happen.

[texastaurusguy]

isnt if its chambered in 5.56 nato you can still shoot 223? I thought that was how it worked? I haven't researched it. But everything on buds says 223 / 5.56

If the barrel is marked 5.56, you can shoot either in it.

To the OP's question, I've never owned a Saiga but I own two SKS rifles. They require a special magazine with a 'duckbill' on it, if you decide to tacticool it and make it take larger capacity mags. I suspect the Saiga would accommodate the regular AK mags but I don't know that for sure. This would make the Saiga more flexible, IMO, but I sure like liberating a good Commie SKS rifle.

[MOONDAWG]

Go with the Saiga for no worries, no regrets...

[NativeTexan]

At current prices, I'd buy a Mosin, but that's me. I have a couple of SKSs, bought 20 years ago, both Norincos and the Paratrooper has a chromed bore. I have tacticool stuff on the paratrooper, just a range toy anyway. I have a folding stock on it, 20 round chicom mag, a laser (bought it and couldn't figure out anything else to do with it cause I didn't like it on a handgun), ambi safeties on both as I shoot lefty. I actually use the rifle. It has a very nice sporter stock, Choate camo. I had a scope on it, but have better hunting rifles. Took the optic off so as to use the gun for a knock around truck gun. That's its mission, now. It's taken a deer, once. Both are fun range toys. I do have other range toys.

My working guns are bolt action hunting rifles with optics. The SKSs are neat little toys, but that's about all. I prefer them to an AK platform, though, as they are pretty accurate and an AK isn't, generally. I don't like inaccurate weapons. My rifle shoots 2" groups at 100 yards with wolf 154, that's pretty decent, really. It's heavy for what it is. All in all, a lever action M94 Winchester or Marlin 336 makes a lot more sense, but hell, I got 'em cheap and they ain't THAT heavy. The rifle is pretty handy, put a 5 round fixed mag on it that doesn't stick out below the stock. I can even carry it in my scabbard on my KLR650.

Funny, my wife and I were reading the bible today, sermon on the mount. I have never been a fan of SHTF seriousness. Fun to plan for if you have nothing else to do, I suppose, but my current rifles will feed me, as well as my bows, harpoons, fishing gear, with God's help. When it's time, Holly's been studying revelations. All I'll say about that. ROFL

This sorta struck me about all this SHTF stuff, though, when I read it. Hmm. I'm a learning Christian, don't profess to know it all, but this sure makes sense to me.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[n]?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Sorry for the hijack. But, between the SKS and ANY AK type guns, I'll take the SKS every time for its superior accuracy. I'm kinda hokey about accuracy, but I mean really, I've shot AKs (not Saiga, have no experience with Saiga) that wouldn't groups better than 6MOA. That's pretty pathetic. Accuracy wins me over firepower every time and SKSs ain't that slow after all. One can load rather fast from stripper clips. And, with the savings in money over the AKs, one can buy more ammo if one takes SHTF more serious than I do. I really think all this SHTF stuff, when it gets to guys SERIOUSLY planning, is pretty humorous, though.

Of course, you could spend a little more on an AR. The M4 is all the rage, now days, ya know. Gots ta keep up with the ninjas, ya know.

[NativeTexan]

And, yes, you can scope an SKS....

[texastaurusguy]

And, yes, you can scope an SKS....

Yup, just don't take the dust cover off it. Not that it will mess it up all that much anyway......

[Buzzkill]

See, theres one of the AK haters I was talkin about. I can get 2 MOA @ 100, controlled, and about 4 MOA @ 100 for a 30 rnd mag. The AK I have isnt the same as a mis-matched parts poorly assembled el cheapo. I can scope an AK also, have a 3X9 on a quick detach pic mount that will hold zero after you put it back on. As far as reloading, I can reload 30 in about 2.5 secs. SKS is cool, but in a SHTF situation, I'd take the 74 hands down.

Now for SKS vs good quality AK (waffen werks, arsenal) the initial price will be quickly made up in the price of ammo if you are serious about shooting alot. Show me where you can get 2160 rnds for under $300 for a 7.62, ..... anyone??? I'm not saying your SKS isnt a good thing, but dont knock a 5.45 QUALITY AK until you try one.

[Jc85]

If the barrel is marked 5.56, you can shoot either in it.
I sure like liberating a good Commie SKS rifle.

thanks for the reply.

Fs Russian sks: never fired, dropped once..
hah!

[NativeTexan]

Yup, just don't take the dust cover off it. Not that it will mess it up all that much anyway......

Note the shell deflector under the scope. That was 18 bucks, the scope mount 33, back 15 or so years ago.

See, theres one of the AK haters I was talkin about. I can get 2 MOA @ 100, controlled, and about 4 MOA @ 100 for a 30 rnd mag. The AK I have isnt the same as a mis-matched parts poorly assembled el cheapo. I can scope an AK also, have a 3X9 on a quick detach pic mount that will hold zero after you put it back on. As far as reloading, I can reload 30 in about 2.5 secs. SKS is cool, but in a SHTF situation, I'd take the 74 hands down.

Now for SKS vs good quality AK (waffen werks, arsenal) the initial price will be quickly made up in the price of ammo if you are serious about shooting alot. Show me where you can get 2160 rnds for under $300 for a 7.62, ..... anyone??? I'm not saying your SKS isnt a good thing, but dont knock a 5.45 QUALITY AK until you try one.

AK hater? I don't like most rifles with pistol grips, period, case closed, but the AKs I've fired, 200 dollar ones back when my SKS was 75 bucks, did good to hold 6 MOA. The safety is in a stupid location and the gun is not very lefty friendly for that reason. I did have to get a ambi safety for my SKSs, but I don't think there is such a thing for AKs. I have Remingtons and a Savage for serious stuff. These are just toys in my collection. I could get an AK, but I really don't care for 'em for the reasons stated and now they're getting expensive, but I wouldn't buy an SKS EITHER at today's prices. Hell, I can buy a real rifle for what they cost. I gave 115 bucks for my NIB Norinco paratrooper and 75 bucks for my issued Norinco rifle. BTW, the triggers on ALL these rifles suck to the max. My rifle has a crisp trigger on it. Back when I got it, I was ordering them and putting them on football pots and work, had a FFL. I found about 1 out of 10 had a trigger that lacked creep. Most were like a friggin' sponge, which pretty well describes my paratrooper's trigger, LOL. I like a nice crisp 3 lb trigger on my hunting rifles with little overtravel. Makes for better shooting. My old M721 Remington is a 1/2 MOA gun and has taken whitetail out to 400 yards. It's in .257 Roberts.

As for .22s, I'll stick with the 7.62 for the extra pop on game. I don't shoot people, but I do shoot deer and hogs occasionally. I pack around the rifle for a truck gun. I have no reason to buy 2100 rounds. I bought about 1500 rounds back 15 yards ago and I still have 1200 or so rounds of it. For fun, I'd rather shoot my .22 mag or one of my muzzle loaders. I ain't really the spray and pray type, firepower, full auto, all that. I have dies and the only deer I've shot with my rifle was shot with a handload, 135 grain Sierra pro hunter at 2150 fps MV. Made a good shot at about 80 yards. I've found the Wolf 154 soft point both acceptable for game, cheap, and a might more accurate than the lighter bullets in MY guns. So, the Wolf 154 is my knock around ammo, now. Don't have to worry about the brass if nothing else. Hard to save brass in autochuckers. At the range, i just took the gas piston out and it became a straight pull bolt gun, but in the field I keep the piston in.

[CJS3]

If the barrel is marked 5.56, you can shoot either in it.

To the OP's question, I've never owned a Saiga but I own two SKS rifles. They require a special magazine with a 'duckbill' on it, if you decide to tacticool it and make it take larger capacity mags. I suspect the Saiga would accommodate the regular AK mags but I don't know that for sure. This would make the Saiga more flexible, IMO, but I sure like liberating a good Commie SKS rifle.

The Saigas are well made rifles with thicker recievers than the run of the mill or surplus AKs. The only drawback is that they require some modification to add tacticool parts. The 7.62 x 39, and the 5.45 x 39 require installation of a bullet guide to use milsurp mags. I'm not sure about the 5.56/223 rifles, and the 308 rifle that I have didn't require the mod. They are accurate enough for the range (or field), but not neccesarly a "target" rifle.